J. Peter St. Clair, DMD, PC Blog

Most people will admit that nice looking teeth make a person more attractive than not so nice looking teeth. Apparently, there are other benefits as well. In a study conducted by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) they found:

• Virtually all Americans (99.7%) believe a smile is an important social asset.
• 96% of adults believe an attractive smile makes a person more appealing to members of the opposite sex.
• 74% of adults feel an unattractive smile can hurt a person’s chances for career success.

The survey then went a little deeper. Photographs of individuals with different levels of attractiveness in their smiles were shown to 528 adults who represented a statistically valid cross section… (Read More)

If you have read these columns in the past you have heard me talk about periodontal (gum) health and its relationship to systemic health. There is a slew of scientific evidence that poor periodontal health is not good for you systemically. It has been linked to heart disease, stroke, low birth weight babies, diabetes and more.

Gum tissue health is an easy thing for patients to be lax about or even ignore. Why? The main reason is that gum problems do not hurt unless they are so severe that tooth loss is inevitable. It is the chronic inflammation in the gum tissue, regardless of whether it hurts or not, that has the potential to affect… (Read More)

I attended a continuing education seminar this past week entitled, “Making it Easy for Patients to Say Yes”. The name of the seminar is a bit deceiving. You would think that it was about how to “sell” people into dental treatment. It was quite the opposite.

I am a firm believer in educating patients about their own dental health with the help of things like photography, which I discussed last week.  I also think it is important to spend as much time as necessary to bring the patient’s dental I.Q. to a level that allows them to make more educated decisions about the degree of dental health they wish to achieve. Some people require more… (Read More)

I remember one time seeing a commercial for a cholesterol medication in which the person playing the doctor says, “I wish my patients could see what I see.” I think there are two ways to look at that statement.

The commercial showed an image of animated artery walls clogging with particles of plaque clinging to one another making the opening of the artery smaller and smaller. This is a visual that is easy to understand.

The second, and more subtle way to take this statement, is the doctor wishing that patients could see what happens to people over time with and without compliance to taking medication or changing their diet. If patients could only understand… (Read More)

You’ve decided to take your oral hygiene a little more serious, so you want to start by evaluating the type of toothbrush you usually buy. Is it the right one? And if not, what kind is better? Your dentist says there are some simple criteria that you can use to make the right decision. Continue reading to find out what he has to say.

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Dental practices are as different as people are different. The personality of the owner is probably the key to how that office “feels” when you walk in the door. Some practices may feel clinical and efficient, while others feel somewhat more home spun and laid back. The dentist’s personality is reflected in his or her treatment preferences as well. The fact that different dentists will suggest different plans to treat your condition does not necessarily mean that one plan is better than another.

As I ended last week, the most important thing any health care provider can give is their time. Listening to patient desires and expectations is the key to a long-lasting dentist or… (Read More)

I recently had the opportunity to do some dental hygiene appointments for a hygienist who was out for a family emergency. While at first I was not particularly excited about doing this because I have my own busy schedule, I have to say, it was both gratifying and eye-opening.

Typically, when I check a patient after a hygiene exam, I am examining clean teeth and will briefly discuss any concerns the patient or the hygienist has. But on this day, I got to spend much more time with patients who I normally only see for five minutes after they see the hygienist.

My first patient was a 20-year-old, very pleasant and bright young man, who… (Read More)

I recently attended a continuing education course entitled “Hit Man or Healer?” The course was given by a well-known leader in the dental profession. The basic premise of the course was the notion that we have a lot more science, studies and data available today to be able to make better decisions about the treatment that we dentists recommend to patients. The concept is called evidence-based dentistry.

The idea is that if a very structured examination and diagnosis is done, treatment recommendations can be made based on science. The problem is, often times the diagnosis leads to suggestions that without the proper dialogue can make the dentist look like a “hit man” (ie. patient perception… (Read More)

Did you know that researchers have found Neolithic remains from 6,500 years ago that include a tooth filled with beeswax? Clearly, dental materials have evolved a lot since then! And while dental work has been further improved over the last 100 years or so, there are new advances all the time that mean an even better dental experience for patients. One example of this is a new filling material that researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have been studying that has huge implications for both dentists and patients. If you’d like to know more, a local dentist discusses how it might change the field of dentistry.

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I read somewhere recently – Insurance does not equal health. Health requires investment. The push in the dental insurance industry is to make “insurance” cheaper in an effort to have more people covered. However, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health, providing people with dental insurance does not necessarily mean they will use it and seek dental care.

Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry analyzed nearly 13,000 people for their project. Those who had dental insurance and accessed dental care were more likely to be younger, college graduates, high-income workers, married, in very good health, and not missing all their permanent teeth. They were also more… (Read More)